THE MAGE'S JUMP
BY GENOSABER
INTERLUDE: HISTORY'S MISTAKES
Long ago, an old man called his three children to him on his death bed. Once present, he asked them each a simple question, “What is the most powerful tool a person has, and how do they make it stronger?”
The oldest, a well built man named Jedrek, knowing that his father was a proud and honored warrior in his youth, answered that it was the body that was the most powerful, and that the only way to improve it was through constant training.
The second, a slender young man named Aldwyn, having spent many hours in his father’s library reading the countless tomes he had amassed over the years, argued that is was in fact not the body, but the mind, and it could only be improved through studying.
Lastly, the youngest, a beautiful young lady named Ashia, told her brothers they were both wrong, and that it was the spirit, which could only be strengthened through both the body and mind. The brothers however, dismissed their fair sister, believing she was still too young to know the right answer.
After their father’s passing, the three siblings split the inheritance and went their separate ways. Jedrak would go to lead the city guard, following his belief in strengthening the body through combat. Aldwyn went to work at the central library, donating his father’s rarer books to it’s already vast collection. Ashia however, chose to live a simple life, buying a house in the poorer district of the city and giving most of her money to the less fortunate.
Every day she would rise and go for a light jog before going to help the farmers outside the city. Every night she would return home to read through one of the books her brother had given her. The brothers paid little attention to their younger sister, normally only speaking to her when she would visit them. Despite this, they both cared deeply for her and swore to always be there for if she needed anything. Everything remained as it was until one day, the sister vanished.
The brothers went into a panic, searching through the city and surrounding countryside for their sister, but alas, they could find no trace of her. Saddened over the loss of their younger sibling, the brothers made amends over the past and eventually opened a school, naming it “Ashia Academy” in their sister’s honor.
They continued their paths, one training students to become soldiers, while the other taught young minds the ways of the scholar. Everything seemed at ease with the brothers until one day, ten years since their dear sister’s disappearance, they heard of a strange figure had arrived in town.
Deciding to see what all the commotion was about, the brothers headed to the market district to find, to their shock, that the figure was none other than their dear sister.
The sister explained to her brothers that she had left town in the dead of night after reading a passage from their father’s journal about a powerful and wise creature living on the southern continent. She had travelled for nearly a year before reaching her destination, a giant mountain located in the center of the continent. Within, she found none other than the legendary dragon Bahamut.
Astonished by her discovery, the brothers listened intently as she went on to tell them of how she spent the next nine years learning everything she could from the dragon king, including his teachings in the fabled art of magic. In the end, she was given a tome containing knowledge of spells to further her teachings and pass them on to younger minds, and a new name: Matoya to signify her rebirth as a mage.
Jedrek, though skeptical of the idea of magic, was overjoyed to see his sister once again, and offered her both a place in his home and the position as headmistress of the academy. Aldwyn agreed wholeheartedly, no less happy to see his younger sibling return. Over time though, the scholarly brother became interested in his sister’s newfound wisdom and talents, spending much of his free time watching her teach students how to not only bend the elements to their whim, but also harness the powers of the magic around them to heal others.
Over the next fifteen years Aldwyn would pour every waking moment of free time he had into studying and understanding the magic Matoya practiced. While he himself was unable to harness the power his sister had, he managed to develop his own abilities, using the power of his mind to manipulate the world around him. Despite his discovery, Aldwyn’s hunger for knowledge only grew, becoming a lust for power and eventually, dissolving into madness.
On the thirtieth anniversary of their father’s death, Aldwyn challenged his brother to a duel intent on proving he was right all those years ago. Though he was concerned for his brother’s state of mind, Jedrek knew their was no turning back on the challenge and accepted.
The battle between the brothers was fierce and though Jedrek held his own from quite some time, in the end he proved no match for Aldwyn’s powers. Unfortunately, the mad brother didn’t let it end at his older sibling’s defeat, using the darkest skill he had developed, Aldwyn used his power to render his brother brain dead.
Not long after, Matoya learned of what had happened. Distraught, she vowed to avenge Jedrek and bring Aldwyn to justice. She spent the next several days locked away, going over every spell she had learned under Bahamut’s tutelage until finally, she felt she was ready to confront her brother for the crime he had committed.
Twilight blinked in confusion as she turned the page, only to find the final page in the book missing. The only thing she could find was a picture on the other side of the page featuring two figures whom she could only assume were Aldwyn and Matoya, preparing to fight each other. “Hey Trace, what happened to this book?” She asked has the mage entered the bedroom.
“Hmm?” He leaned over and started at the open book for several seconds before shrugging. “Legends and Fables of Cardia? Probably got damaged during Arcana’s childhood, she managed to pull down a few of my books and ended up tearing a few pages out of them. I think I replaced most of them, but that book is pretty rare, been in my family for generations, so I just decided to hold on to it, no sense in throwing it away over one story being incomplete.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, her ears folding back in disappointment. “You wouldn’t happen to know the rest of the story, would you?”
Trace chuckled and faced his marefriend with a grin. “Not word for word, but I can give you a summary of what happened.” He slid into the bed beside Twilight, staring at the picture for a second before speaking again, “Well, Aldwyn had been expecting Matoya to challenge him, knowing how close she was to Jedrek. The fight that ensued when they met again was fierce. Most scholars claim that it might have lasted for over a day, but in the end, Matoya won, launching Aldwyn off a cliff, resulting in his death.”
Twilight stared at him in horror. “Couldn’t she have saved him? Try to find a way to repair the damage done to his mind?”
Trace just shook his head, “He was too far gone, using the mind break is a double edged sword, it not only destroys the target's mind, but does irreversible damage to the caster’s as well. Even if she had tried, it would have only been prolonging the inevitable.” He looked down at her, “She was heartbroken at what she did, despite knowing it was the only answer. Not long after she had helped bury her brothers did she leave the city, travelling to the harsh wilds of northern Cardia.
“What they don’t mention though, is that the brothers had both started a family.” He rubbed his chin in thought, “Jedrek’s family would later become known under the clan name Ryder. Much like their founder they focus on physical strength, very few of the current generation have any magic at all, and those that do put as little practice as possible into it. Aldwyn’s however were ashamed by his actions, swearing to never practice such dark talents as those he had created. They later became rather well known, one head of the clan being an advisor to the last King before the monarchy disbanded.” He sighed and leaned back, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.
“And their name?” Twilight asked. Trace looked back down at the mare, a calm smile gracing his lips.
“Reinhart.”